Gate.



Patented July 3, I900.

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

Wiigzsszs I 1 71 1 @AHQPQG s, 1 y gy No. 653,025. Patented July 3,1900. P. LAHR.

GATE.

A he hon filed. Mar. 28, 1900.)

UN STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER LAHR, OF PRESCOTT, IOWA.

GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 653,025, dated July 3, 1900. Application filed March 28, 19005 $erial No. 10,531. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PETER LAHR,a citizen of the United States, residing at Prescott, in' the county of Adams and State of Iowa,- have invented a new anduseful Gate, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements iri gates.

One object ofthe present invention is to improve the construction of tilting gates and to provide a simple and comparatively-inexpensive one which will be strong and durable and positive and reliable'in' operation and which will be capable of being readily p'er ated by aperson' on foot or on horseback'or from a vehicle. 4

A further object of the invention is to provide simple and efficient means for cushioning the opening and closing of the gate and for preventing the same from violently striking the ground.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fullydescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tilting gate constructed in accordance with this invention and shown closed. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, the gatebeing open. Fig, 3 is a detail perspective view of the weighted oscillating lever or frame. I

Like numerals of reference designate corre sponding parts in all the figures of the draw{ lngs. I 1 designates a tilting gate pivotally mounted at its inner end between a pair of short posts 2 and 3 on a horizontal pivot 4, located at the bottom of the gate and passing through registering perforations of the same and of the short posts. The gate, which is preferably constructed of horizontal rails, vertical connecting-bars, and inclined braces, is supported at its inner end adjacent to =the post 3 by arig'id rectangular frame 5 disposed vertically and :composed -of 'ho'rizo'nt'al' top and bottom pieces 6 and 7 and a connecting side piece 8. The connecting side piece 8, which is located adjacent to the post 3, is secured to the rear end of a horizontal brace 9, extending from the inner face of the vertical bar- 8 to the gate at a point between the ends thereof, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. 7 By this construction the gate is firmly braced and is adapted to remain in an upright position when open, as illustrated in Fig. 2, without straining its pivot.

1 The front end of the gate is supported when closed by a pair of tapered latch-posts 10, forming a flaring or tapering opening or space between them, which space gradually decreases in width from the top to the bottom of the post. The latch-posts are connected at a point between" their ends by a horizontal pin 11, forming a keeper and adapted to be engaged bya resilen't latch 12, constructed of spring metal or other suitable material and arranged as'clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings. The resilient or spring latch, which is .substantially L-shaped, forms a shoulder for engaging under the keeper of the latch-post, and its upper arm 13 is connected by a link 14 with a lever 15, fulcrumed at its lower end on the gate and having its upper end shaped to form a grip or handle, Whereby it is adapted to be readily operated by a person on foot.

The upper portion of the lever 15 is connected by a wire 16 or other suitable connection with a rear latch-lever 17, composed of two sides or pieces located at opposite sides of the adjacent horizontal rail of the gate and pivoted at their lower ends to the same, whereby the lever is fulcrumed on the gate. The rear'latch-lever is connected by w res 18 with a pair of L-shaped levers 19, located at opposite sides of I the front portion of a weighted oscillating lever or frame 20. The wires 18, which are located at opposite sides of the gate, are connected at'their front ends with the sides or pieces of the rearlatch-lever, and the rear ends of the wires 18 are connected with the lower arms Zlof the L-shaped side levers 19. The L-shaped side levers 19 areconnected by short wires 22 with the'upper arms of a pair of bell-cranklevers 23, fulcrumed between their ends at'their angles at the side faces of the weighted lever or frame and having their lower ends connected'with the inner ends of operating-levers 24. The lower arms of the bell-crank levers 23 are connected by links 25 with rods 26 and with springs 27. The links 25 extend downward and are provided with suitable eyes, into which are linked hooks or eyes of the rods 26, and the springs, which are secured to the lower face of the weighted frame or lever 20, are disposed at an angle to the latter and are secured at their outer ends to the links by any suitable means. The operating-levers 24, which are fulcrumed between their ends in slots or bifurcations 28 of uprights 29, are adapted to oscillate the weighted frame or lever, as hereinafter described, and they simultaneouslydisengage the latch from the keeper of the latch-post through the connections just explained. The operating-levers are provided at their outer ends with ropes or any other suitable means for enabling them to be readily grasped by a person on horseback or in a vehicle or on a load of hay or other material.

The weighted oscillating frame or lever is forked, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings, to permit the gate to swing rearward between its sides, and it is composed of a rear port-ion or shank 30 and side bars 31, secured to the side faces of the shank 30, which is preferably tapered in rear of the side bars 31. The weighted frame or lever is fulcrumed between its ends in a support 32, and the front ends of the side bars are beveled to avoid presenting any shoulders to the gate and are connected with the latter by oscillating rods 33, which are pivoted at their lower ends to the gate at 34, in rear of the center thereof, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. hen the gate is closed, as shown in Fig. 1, the oscillating rods 33 incline upward and rearward to the front end of the weighted frame or lever, which is disposed at aslight inclination and which is located above the gate. lVhen the weighted or oscillating frame or lever 20 is swung upward, the gate is tilted rearwardly and carried from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that illustrated in Fig. 2. The lower arms of the L-shaped side levers 19 are provided with openings for the reception of the connecting wires or rods 13, which have stops or-heads at their rear ends and which are adapted to slide through the L-shaped side levers to shorten the connection as the gate opens. The rods or wires 22 are also slidingly connected with the upper arms of the bell-crank levers and are adapted to project through openings of the same when the gate is open. By this construction the connections between the operatinglevers and the latch are adapted to accommodate themselves to the opening and closing of the gate.

The rear portion of the weighted or oscillating lever 20 is provided with a series of perforations 35 to permit Ithe adjustment of a weight 36, which is suspended from the rear arm of the weighted frame or lever bya suitable connection 37. The connection 37 is adapted to be engaged with any one of the perforations 35 to vary the action of the weight on the gate. When the gate is closed,

as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings, the weight 36 is located above the ground; but it rests upon the latter when the gate is open, as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

The weight of the lever or frame 20 is adapted to cushion the fall of the gate and to counterbalance the same to facilitate the opening and closing operation, and the gate is further cushioned by means of a pair of elliptic springs 33, supported or seated upon the support 32. The support 32, which may be constructed in any suitable manner, is composed of side bars 39, secured at their lower ends to the side faces of a short post 40 and connected at their upper ends by a top bar 41, upon which the cushion formed by the springs is seated. The elliptic springs 38, which are arranged one above the other, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, have a block 42 interposed between them and secured to them by suitable fastening devices. The lower spring is arranged upon a plate orseat 43, which conforms to the configuration of the spring and which has a flat lower face to fit the top bar 41 of the support 32. The upper spring is connected with a vertically-movable yoke 44 by a plate 45, which extends across the center of the upper portion of the top spring and which is perforated for the reception of the sides or rods of the yoke. The yoke is composed of a pair of parallel sides or rods connected at their lower terminals by a transverse portion or bend 46 and having their upper ends 47 threaded for the reception of nuts 48, which engage the connectingplate and which enable the tension of the cushioning device to be regulated, The lower end of the connecting-yoke is secured to a cord 49 or other flexible connection, and the transverse portion or bend 46 receives a loop of the cord, which passes beneath a pulley 50. The top bar 41 of the support is provided with perforations orguide-openings 51, through which pass the rods of the connecting-yoke, and the pulley, which is disposed in a vertical plane, is mounted on a horizontal rod or spindle 52 and is located between the sides of the support at a point between the top thereof and the weighted frame or lever. The front end of the cord 49 is connected with the weighted frame or lever by a substantially V-shaped connecting-piece 53, diverging rearwardly and having the terminals of its sides bent outward and arranged in suitable bearings 55, consisting of perforated pieces secured to the side bars of the weighted frame orlever,which passes through the opening of the support and which extends in advance and in rear of the same. The springs of the cushioning device are under tension when the gate is closed, and they assist the lifting of the same and also cnshion the gate and prevent the latter from falling violently to the ground in both opening and closing, as the said springs are relaxed when the gate is at the center of its oscillation and are compressed when the gate moves in either direction therefrom.

It will be seen that the gate is simple and comparatively inexpensive in construction, that it is strong and durable and positive and reliable in operation, and that the latch is antomatically operated, It will also be apparent that the weight and the cushioning device operate to counterbalance the gate and facilitate raising the same and prevent the gate from falling violently.

Changes in the form, proportion, size, and the minor details of construction within the scope of the appended claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

I claim- 1. The combination of a tilting gate, an oscillating frame or lever fulcrumed in rear of the gate and extending over the same when the gate is closed and connected with the said gate, a latch carried by the gate and connected with the oscillating frame or lever, and operating mechanism for oscillating the frame or the leverto actuate the gate and to disengage the latch, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a tilting gate, an oscillating frame or lever fulcrumed between its ends in rear of the gate and extending over the latter when the same is closed, a counterbalancing-weight connected with the rear portion of the frame or lever, a latch mounted on the gate, operating mechanism for swinging the frame or lever, and means for 0011- necting the latter with the gate and with the latch, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a tilting gate, an oscillating frame or lever fulcrumed between its ends in rear of the gateand extending over the latter when the same is closed, connections between the gate and the frame'orlever, a cushioning device-connected with the frame or lever and being under tension when the gate is open and closed, and means for operating the oscillating frame or lever, substanstantially as described.

4. The combination of a tilting gate, an oscillating frame or lever fulcrumed between its ends and connected with the gate, a weight connected with the rear portion of the lever for partially counterbalancing the gate, a

cushioning device connectedwith the frame or lever and being under tension when the gate is open and closed, and operating mechanism for oscillating the frame or lever, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a tilting gate, an oscillating frame or lever connected with the gate, operating mechanism for oscillating the frame or lever, and a cushioning device connected with the frame or lever and bein g under tension when the gate is opened and closed, said cushioning device comprising a compressible spring, and an adjusting device for regulating the tension of the spring, substantially as described. 7

6. The combination of a tilting gate, an oscillating frame or lever connected with the same, a cushioning-spring, an adjusting deconnecting the adjusting device with the lever, substantially as described.

8. The combination of a tilting gate, a support, a frame or lever fulcrumed on the support and connected with the gate, a compressible spring mounted on the support above the lever and connected with the same and being under tension when the gate is open and closed, and operating mechanism for oscillating the lever, substantially as described.

9. The combination of a tilting gate, a support, a-lever fulcrumed on the support and connected with the gate, a pair of compressible springs mounted on the support and located above the lever, a yoke adjustably con nected with the springs, a pulley mounted on the support above the lever, and a flexible connection extending from the yoke to the lever and passing beneath the pulley, substantially as described.

10. The combination of a tilting gate, a support, a lever fulcrumed on the support and connected with the gate, a compressible spring mounted upon the support above the lever, a vertically-movable yoke guided on the support and connected with the spring, and means for connecting the yoke with the lever, substantially as described.

11. The combination of a tilting gate, a support, a lever fulcrumed on the support and connected with the gate, means for oscillating the lever, a pair of elliptic springs arranged one upon the other and mounted upon the support above the lever, a yoke guided on the support and receiving the springs between its sides and connected with the upper spring, and means for connecting the yoke with the lever, substantially as described.

12. The combination of a tilting gate, a support, a forked lever fulcrumed on the support and arranged to receive the gate between its sides, connections between the lever and the gate, a cushioning device connected with the lever and being under tension when the gate is open and closed, and means for operating the lever, substantially as described.

13. The combination ofa tilting gate, a support located in rear of the gate, a forked lever fulcruined on the support and extending over the gate when the latter is closed, andadapted to receive the gate when the same is open, connections between the gate and the lever, a cushioning device mounted upon the support at a point above the lever, a substantially V- shaped connecting-piece having its sides connected with the sides of the forked lever, and connections between the V-shaped connecting-piece and the cushioning device, substantially as described.

14. The combination of a tilting gate, a latch mounted on the tilting gate, an oscillating lever fulcrumed on a suitable support and connected with the gate, a bell-crank lever mounted on the oscillating lever and having one of its arms connected with the latch, a spring connected with the other arm of the bell-crank lever, and operating mechanism connected with the bell-crank lever, substantially as described.

15. The combination of a tilting gate, a latch mounted on the tilting gate, front and rear latch-levers fuleruined on the gate and connected with each other, the front latch-lever being also connected with the latch, an oscillating frame or lever fulcruined in rearof the gate and extending over the said gate when the latter is closed and connected with the same, operating mechanism, and a lever fulcruined on the oscillating frame or lever and connected with the operating mechanism and with the rear latch-lever of the gate, substantially as described.

16. The combination of a tilting gate, a forked lever fulcrumed in rear of the gate and connected with the same, a latch mounted on the gate, the side bell-crank levers mounted on the forked lever, the side L-shaped levers mounted on the forked lever in advance of the bell-crank levers, connections between the bell-crank levers and the L-shaped levers, operating mechanism connected with the bellcrank levers, and a connection extending from the latch and slidably connected with the L shaped levers, substantially as described.

17. The combination of a tilting gate provided with a latch, a rear latch-lever fulcrumed on the gate and connected with the latch, a forked lever fulcrumed in rear of the gate and connected with the same, a lever-l9 mounted on the forked lever, a connection extending from the rear latch-lever, and slidably connected with the lever 19, and operating mechanism connected with the lever 19 and with the forked lever, substantially as described.

18. The combination of a tilting gate, a forked lever fulcrumed in rear of the gate and connected with the same, a latch mounted on the gate, bell-crank levers arranged at opposite sides of the forked levers, links depending from the bell-crank levers, springs mounted on the forked lever and connected with the links, connections between the bell-crank 1evers and the latch, and operating mechanism connected with the bell-crank levers, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

PETER LAII R.

\Vitnesses:

E. F. LEAKE, F. A. OUTHIER. 

